{ ARC Review } Black Bird of the Gallows by Meg Kassel

{ about the book }

A simple but forgotten truth: Where harbingers of death appear, the morgues will soon be full.

Angie Dovage can tell there’s more to Reece Fernandez than just the tall, brooding athlete who has her classmates swooning, but she can’t imagine his presence signals a tragedy that will devastate her small town. When something supernatural tries to attack her, Angie is thrown into a battle between good and evil she never saw coming. Right in the center of it is Reece—and he’s not human.What's more, she knows something most don't. That the secrets her town holds could kill them all. But that’s only half as dangerous as falling in love with a harbinger of death.

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{ my review }

♫ ♫ ♫ ♫

Black Bird of the Gallows was such a pleasant surprise! This was one of those books that you just know—the moment you pick it up, you're going to like it!I will admit... parts of this book reminded me of Twilight, which is sort of funny, because I've never actually read it—I'd watched it haltingly on TV about 6 years ago. But there were a few scenes that were sort of parallel to Twilight's, which I found sort of amusing. It wasn't a bad thing, but it was sort of funny.Anyway, I loved Angie! She had such a fun voice and being in her head, having her narrate, was an absolute blast. She was a rational, relatable girl and she felt so real—I felt like I could be friends with her, have fun hanging out.Angie's interest in Reece was well done. I loved the way Kassel handled it, actually—she didn't fall head first or anything, but was understandably curious. More so because of the strange birds and bees hanging around. Even when things turned romantic, Angie was still more eager for answers than anything else.Which brings me to her tenacity! That girl did not give up and it was really enjoyable to read! The situations she found herself in... well, I was constantly surprised how it ended because it didn't go the way I expected. In fact, a lot of this book didn't go the way I thought it would and it made it all the more better.Reece himself was a great love interest! He was sweet and understandably shady (I guess I would be too if I was some supernatural being, lmao). He stood up for Angie and he didn't just leave her after he was sitting with the cool kids. He was funny, sweet, and definitely had some swoony scenes! I really liked Reece and his overall character.The whole harbinger of death thing was a cool aspect of the book. It was eerie and totally creepy and I liked the lore behind it! I won't say much about it because it's just easier to read it, but it definitely added more to the book!I loved Angie's best friends! I loved that they were present instead of being sidelined, even in light of the supernatural stuff. They were there for Angie, supportive throughout, and Kassel did a great job at truly showing readers how close the three of them are!With a fun, expressive voice, a great cast of characters, and lots of supernatural aspects sprinkled in, Black Bird of the Gallows is definitely a debut worth checking out! 4 stars.

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about me

Hi guys! I'm Mith, a 5'0 tall, 2o-year-old, sleep-deprived human! I procrastinate waaay too much and support the oxford comma, 100%. You might notice that I love to read, in which case you are correct. Lovely to meet you!